Life on the Run Ranger Begins
by PricklySare
Summary: This is going to be an ongoing selection of stories. Each will be a one shot. Each will be from Ranger's POV and each will be a scene from the books, only from his POV. More to come in time!
1. Chapter 1

I don't own these characters. JE does. I just bring them out to play sometimes. :)

**Ranger's POV**

The road is stretching out in front of me and I can feel the power of the Turbo beneath me. The road is empty and I watch the moon flicker from behind the clouds as the turbo glides to ninety. I'm in the wind again, this time it's for good.

Miami has gotten too hot. I've pointed the turbo towards Jersey. Seems like a good place to start over, to get lost. I feel my pager buzz on my hip and I see her number. She doesn't know my name, but she knows how to get in touch with me. She'll figure it out when she doesn't hear from me. Love isn't something I'm looking for. I don't need or want the complication that being involved with someone would bring. Years ago I did what was right with Rachel and gave our daughter financial security and a name on her birth certificate now she's got the life she wanted with a husband and family. I've got what I want, freedom, speed, the open road and the chase.

I remember a conversation I once had with Rachel. _"Carlos, why don't you want to find someone to love? Why don't you want to let someone in?" she had tears in her eyes, not because she was in love with me, but because she doesn't want me to be alone. _

_ "Rachel, my life isn't the kind of life for a wife, kids, family. I live life on the run, I can't give my heart to anyone, I can't rest a minute while I'm living life on the run. Someone is always after me, like a pack of bloodhounds. What kind of life would that be for someone?" _

Just like I'd told Rachel, someone is always after me. The cops are looking for me in Florida, there is no use explaining to them that it wasn't me. It is in my best interest to start over before I end up on the receiving end of a gun shot. They don't take kindly to the death of one of their own. Even if he was a dirty cop who was working for Hector Vasquez.

I know they won't find me in Jersey, they never knew my name or who I was. Ricardo Carlos Manoso is safe. I've already got my life set up in Trenton, working with a sexual deviant bail bondsman named Vincent Plum. My skills come in handy while tracking down the felons who have gone FTA. I've been in and out of Trenton for the last year while finishing up my special project in Miami. Now I'm heading back to the smog, the heat, and the big hair.

Jersey is similar to some of the places in the world I'd been as a Ranger. Same stench, same degradation, same killers, hustlers, and power hungry sadists. Same innocents that need protecting. I spent years as a ranger in the U.S. Army. Now I find that I need to continue using my skills. The chase, the hunt, is my life. The adrenaline—there is nothing like it.

I reach the outskirts of the of Trenton as my pager buzzes again. I look down at the number displayed in the window. I pick up my phone and dial the number. At least with this job I don't have to worry about emotional attachments I think to myself as the phone rings.

"Yo."

"Hey, Ranger. It's Connie. I've got a new BEA that could use some training. Thought maybe you could show 'em the ropes."

"Sure thing. What's their name?"

"Her name is Stephanie Plum."

**She never knew my name  
Least not the one my Daddy gave me  
I took off the way I came  
Moonlight reflecting off the chrome  
She didn't want my story, so I didn't have to lie  
If I loved her it was only for a night**

**Living Life On The Run  
You can't give your heart to no one  
Your only friend is the setting sun  
I didn't do what they said I done  
I gotta stay one step ahead  
Or one of these days I'm gonna wake up dead  
Dropped in my tracks by a bullet from a lawman's gun  
Oh, you can't rest a minute  
When you're living life on the run**

**The white lines on the road  
That's the only trail I leave behind me  
Been chasing high line poles  
Ever since the night I skipped out of town  
somewhere in the distance is where I need to be  
All I care about right now is speed**

**Living life on the run  
You can't give your heart to no one  
Your only friend is the setting sun  
I didn't do what they said I done  
I gotta stay one step ahead  
Or one of these days I'm gonna wake up dead  
Dropped in my tracks by a bullet from a lawman's gun  
No, you can't rest a minute  
When you're living life on the run**

**Here they come now, gotta lay low  
Done bent the law till the law got broke  
Here they come now, gotta lay low  
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa**

**Here they come now, they're closing in  
Pack of blood hounds gonna catch my sent  
Here they come now, now I'm gone again**

**Yeah  
Living life on the run  
You can't give your heart to no one  
You can't rest a minute when you're living life on the run  
No, you can't rest a minute when you're living life  
On the run **

**Song :Life on the run-- Dierks Bentley**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I do not own these characters. Janet Evanovich does. I just enjoy meeting up with them and letting them lead me through their lives. :) This is only the second fan fic I've written so comments and suggestions are always welcome. When I first began writing the first part of this story I never expected to continue it. It was just supposed to be a one shot song fic, but it's slowly taking on a life of it's own.

This story takes place during One for the Money. This is the the scene where Ranger and Stephanie meet for the first time. I've made this totally in Ranger's POV. The italic quotes come from One for the Money pages 33-39. Completely quoted and completely JE's work. Everything else is mine. :) I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

_**I reach the outskirts of the of Trenton as my pager buzzes again. I look down at the number displayed in the window. I pick up my phone and dial the number. At least with this job I don't have to worry about emotional attachments I think to myself as the phone rings.**_

_** "Yo."**_

_** "Hey, Ranger. It's Connie. I've got a new BEA that could use some training. Thought maybe you could show 'em the ropes." **_

_** "Sure thing. What's their name?"**_

_** "Her name is Stephanie Plum."**_

Chapter Two

An hour later I sit at a corner table in a small cafe downtown. Like always I've chosen a position that keeps my back covered and gives me the best vantage point of all entrances and exits. The glass door to the cafe opens and in walks a woman whose presence is everything Jersey. Big hair, bigger attitude, and big make-up coated eyes. She walks in with her head held high, Jersey -don't mess with me- attitude sparking in her bright blue eyes. Her steps falter for a moment when her eyes fall on me but comes forward and sits across from me at the table. Points for her.

I lounge back in my chair and watch her while she takes in my appearance. I don't often think about the way I look, or my effect on people, but I'm not blind to it either. I wear what is comfortable and easy. I choose black because it requires little thought and allows me to concentrate on things I consider more important. I don't work out for the purpose of attracting women, I work out and keep my body in top shape because it is a tool. A weapon. I care for my body the same way I care for all my weapons. My hair is long and tied back in a leather strap, not because I'm making a statement, but because my life doesn't often leave me time to go and get my hair cut.

Her perusal of me takes less than a moment and when she is finished she gazes at me with determination, and a little bit of curiosity. She doesn't giggle, or sigh, or blush. There are none of the usual reactions that women have when they are near me, that gives her major points in my book. When Connie requested that I give a crash course to the new female Bond Enforcement Agent- or BEA that Vinnie had hired I wasn't sure what I was expecting. I'm pretty sure that she isn't it though. I've learned to trust my instincts. They have saved my life on more than one occasion.

I lean back and grin, _"Soooo, Connie says I'm supposed to make you into a badass fugitive apprehension agent. She says you need to get the crash course. What's the rush?" _

She shifts in her chair and I smell her scent-- like fresh peaches and summer rain. "_You see the brown Nova at the curb?"_

My eyes flick a look out the window. I can hardly imagine how that POS is still running. "_Uh huh."_

"_That's my car." _

I give a slight nod of my head in understanding. "_So you need money. Anything else?"_

Some emotion flashes in her eyes before she says, "_Personal reasons."_

Personal reasons? I briefly wonder what kind of personal reasons she would have for getting into bond enforcement. None of my business. So I say, "_Bond enforcement is dangerous business. Those personal reasons better be pretty fucking good." _

_ "What are your reasons for doing this?" _she says to me, eyes wide with curiosity.

I lift my hands in a palms up gesture before saying, "_It's what I do best." _It really is. I can track a person like a bloodhound. I can think like a criminal and be one step ahead of most of them. I've been tracking people through one jungle or another since I was old enough to join the Army. Trenton, New Jersey is just another kind of jungle.

She appears to accept and even understand my answer. Most women would be shocked, or try to get closer to me. Danger is always appealing to women who feel trapped in their suburban boring lives. They like to walk on the wild side, and they seem to think that I fit that need. This woman surprises me when she just seems to accept it and then says, "_Maybe someday I'll be good at this, too. Right now my motive is steady employment." _

I'm not going to give her false hope that she will be good at this. She shows an inner strength, but she is still a woman who is doing this for "personal reasons" and a steady paycheck. My feeling is that she is soft- not just physically but emotionally. Most people who get into this line of work have seen enough bad things that they have become desensitized to most emotions. I know that I have. My job is to return the fugitives to the authorities, not to worry about what led them there. Something tells me that Stephanie Plum has a heart and that just doing the job might not be enough for her. That could get her killed. "_ Vinnie give you a skip?" _ I ask her.

"_Joseph Morelli."_

I can't help it, I throw my head back and laugh. A real honest to god laugh that comes from the deepest part of my stomach I realize in the back of my head that I haven't laughed like this in too long. I ignore it, pushing it back. Is she crazy? Morelli? The cop? Vinnie is obviously setting her up for failure. What the Hell was he thinking giving her Morelli? "_Oh man! Are you kidding me? You aren't going to get that dude. This isn't some street punk you're going after. This guy's smart. And he's good. You know what I'm telling you?" _

She looks at me with a slight smile on her lips even while her eyes glint like steel. _"Connie says you're good."_

I am good, but that doesn't mean I can work miracles and turn her into Wonder Woman over night. I've been doing this since I was a teenager. _"There's me, and then there's you, and you aren't ever going to be as good as me, Sweet Thing."_

I watch as emotions run across her face and wonder if she realizes just how open she is. Does she know that watching her face is like seeing into her soul? The emotions, uncertainty, helplessness, anger, and then determination flash across her face like a slide show and then she speaks, "_Let me make my position clear to you." _She leans forward getting closer to me as she continues, "_I'm out of work. I've had my car repossessed, my refrigerator is empty, I'm going to get kicked out of my apartment, and my feet don't fit in these shoes. I haven't got a lot of energy to waste socializing. Are you going to help me or what?"_

I grin at her. I can't help it. She's got spunk, depth, and a strength most people lack. There is a layer of steel determination underneath all that Jersey hair and make-up. _ "This is going to be fun. This here's gonna be like Professor Higgins and Eliza Doolittle Does Trenton." _

_"What do I call you?" _She asks me.

I suddenly realize that she's affecting me in a way that I'm not comfortable with when I almost tell her to call me Carlos. Shit. I can go one of two ways with this since I refuse to let her call me Carlos. I can flirt with her, make it sexual. No, that is still too much, too close. Instead I say, "_ My street name. Ranger."_

I suddenly realize that I'm antsy. My innate calm seems to be fleeing and I need to occupy myself. I reach across the table and take the paperwork that she brought with her. Joe Morelli. That's a kick. I think to myself as I thumb through the bond agreement giving myself time to regain my control. _"You do anything on this yet? You check out his apartment?" _

_"He wasn't there, but I got lucky and found him in an apartment on State Street. I got there just as he was leaving." _

Okaaaaaay, I think to myself. _"And?"_

_ "He left."_

I'm having a hard time hiding my smile, "_ Shit, didn't anybody tell you that you're supposed to stop him?"_

_ "I asked him to come to the police station with me, but he said he didn't want to." _ This time I let out another laugh. She was cute. Insane, but cute. Damn, this is going to get me in trouble. Shit.

"_I don't suppose you've got a gun?"_

_ "You think I should get one?" _ she asks me, all guileless innocence. Is she serious? I can't help but smile. I can feel my smile getting wider.

"_Might be a good idea." _ I say as I finish reading the bond agreement.

Morelli's bond agreement includes the particulars of the crime he is accused of committing. Murder. "_Morelli offed a guy named Ziggy Kulesza. Used his personal piece to put a .45 hydroshock between Ziggy's eyes at close range."_ I look up at her before continuing, _"You know anything about guns?"_

_ "I know I don't like them." _

Well, looks like lesson time starts now. "_A .45 hydroshock goes in nice and neat but when it comes out it makes a hole the size of a potato. You end up with brains all over the place. Ziggy's head probably exploded like an egg in a microwave." _

I see the distaste flash across her face before she says, "_Gee, I'm glad you shared that with me."_

I can't seem to help but smile at her. This is not normal for me, but the smile is there regardless. _"I figured you'd want to know." _I lean back in my chair and fold my arms over my chest trying to get back to my remote, controlled self. "_You know any of the background on this case?"_

_ "According to the newspaper articles Morty Beyers clipped to the bond agreement, the shooting took place late at night a little over a month ago in an apartment on Shaw. Morelli was off duty and had gone to visit Carmen Sanchez. Morelli claimed that Carmen had called him concerning a police matter, that he responded, and that when he got to Carmen's apartment, Ziggy Kulesza answered the door and drew on him. Morelli claimed he shot Ziggy in self defense._

_ "Carmen's neighbors told a different story. Several of them rushed into the hall at the sound of gunfire and found Morelli standing over Kulesza with a smoking gun. One of the tenants subdued Morelli until the police arrived. None of the tenants could remember seeing a gun in Ziggy's hand, and the immediate investigation didn't turn up any evidence that Ziggy had been armed._

_ "Morelli had placed a second man in Carmen's apartment at the time of the shooting, and three of the tenants remembered seeing an unfamiliar face, but the man apparently disappeared before the police came on scene."_

_ "And what about Carmen?" _ I ask her.

_"No one could remember seeing Carmen. The last article was written a week after the shooting, and as of that date, Carmen still hadn't surfaced."_

I nod, _"You know anything else?"_

She looks at me, "_That's about it."_

There are definitely things that she needs to know about before we go any farther. Some of the guys she is going to run into that aren't exactly known for their decency. I decide to give her some of the background on who Ziggy is, and who he associates with. _"The guy Morelli shot worked for Benito Ramirez. The name mean anything to you?"_

_ "Ramirez is a boxer." _

_ "More than a boxer. He's a fucking wonder. Heavyweight. The biggest thing that's happened to Trenton since George shafted the Hessians. Trains in a gym on Stark Street. Ziggy used to stick to Ramirez like white on rice. Sometimes Ziggy'd do some sparring. Mostly Ramirez kept him on as a gofer and a bodyguard."_

_ "There any word on the street about why Morelli shot Kulesza? _

I give her a slow, measured stare. Trying to let her know that it really shouldn't matter. That is can't matter. That the why can't matter. It's not our job to solve the crime or to find the reason. Our only job is to make sure that the guy gets brought back into the system. I don't really think that Morelli did it, I honestly believe that his luck just ran out. He's too good of a cop to have gotten caught up and killed a guy in cold blood in a place where there could be witnesses. If he really wanted to kill someone, there are other ways he would have done it. None of this is our concern though. It doesn't change the job description. _"None. But Morelli must have had a good reason. Morelli's a cool guy, and if a cop wants to pop someone, there are ways."_

_ "Even cool cops make mistakes." _She counters.

"_Not like this, Babe. Not Morelli." _

"_So what are you telling me?" _

_"I'm telling you to be careful." _

I can see the exact moment that the reality of taking this job hits her. Her blue eyes cloud with concern and I see for the first time fear come into the blue depths. She is worried, worried about what will happen to Morelli. It was like she was broadcasting her thoughts on a loudspeaker.

Suddenly I feel it. A tug. Holy Shit. I have to consciously keep myself from rubbing a hand over my chest where my heart beats. I'm worried about her. That's not good. I can control this. This isn't a problem. I'll just focus on the job. _"You still want to tag him?" _ I ask her.

She remains silent, the internal war she is fighting rages across her face. So I continue, "_If you don't do it, someone else will. That's something you've got to learn. And you've got no business making judgments. You just do your job, and bring the man in. Got to trust in the system." _

_"Do you trust in the system?"_ She questions me.

_"Beats the shit out of anarchy." _ I reflect momentarily that I tend to work in the gray area outside the norm of the system but I also realize that without the system all Hell would break loose. Stephanie isn't ready for that knowledge yet.

_"There's a lot of money involved here. If you're so good, why didn't Vinnie give Morelli to you? Why did he originally give him to Morty Beyers?" _

_ "Vinnie moves in mysterious ways." _Not to mention I wasn't available when the contract came through. I was still ass deep in shit down in Miami with no real idea of when I'd be free of it. I wasn't even on the radar when Morelli bonded out.

"A_nything else I should know about Morelli?_

Aside from staying away from him? I wonder to myself. Maybe making sure you don't fall for his charms again and end up between the sheets, allowing him to touch your naked skin? Oh shit. What is wrong with me? I find myself fighting to bring my control back. Amazed that she can't see me fighting my own internal battle across from her. Stick to the task, man. "_If you want your money, you better find your man fast. Rumor has it the judicial system is the least of his problems."_

Her eyes widen in shock as realization dawns on her. "_Are you telling me there's a contract out on him?"_

Making a gun with my thumb and index finger my only response is, "_Bang."_

_"You sure about this rumor?"_

I shrug, "_Just repeating what I heard."_

Her eyes sparkle as she says, "_Ah, the plot thickens."_

Shit. I knew it. She's not going to be happy with just getting the man and doing her job. She's going to need to know everything. All the reasons. Her own curiosity won't allow for anything else. _"Like I said before, you don't care about the plot. Your job is simple. Find the man, bring him in."_

_ "Do you think I can do it?"_

_ "No." _I saw her back stiffen. Yes, she is a fighter. I feel a rush of pride for this contradictory woman in front of me. I don't believe she will give up. Her pride won't let her.

_"Will you help me anyway?" _

How can I not? She obviously is going to go through with this regardless and I'd much rather be there to help her through it than find out that she got herself hurt, or worse, killed because she did it alone. _ "Long as you don't tell nobody. Wouldn't want to tarnish my image by looking like a good guy."_

She nods her head, "_Okay, where do I begin?"_

_ "First thing we need to do is get you outfitted. And while we collect your hardware I'm gonna tell you about the law."_

"_This isn't going to be expensive is it?"_

_ "My time and knowledge is coming to you free of charge because I like you, and I always wanted to be professor Higgins, but handcuffs cost $40 a pair. You got plastic?" _I watch as worry creases her features. I know she's strapped for cash. I find myself wanting to take care of her. It's only money, and money I have. I stop before I offer though, because I realize that she wouldn't appreciate it. She has pride and her pride requires her to do this on her own. So, I will just make sure I get her the best prices I can. I continue to watch her while her face shows every thought and emotion as she contemplates which hand she will steal from to make this happen.

When she comes to her decision she says, "_I have a few dollars set aside." _

The sun is setting as I drive through the streets, the turbo rolling smoothly along. Music is playing on the speakers but I don't actually hear it. I only hear her voice. The cadence, the melody, the tone. I see her sitting across from me, Full of honesty and faith and strength. Being strong and brave even while her face is showing how nervous she is. For the first time I am shocked, uncertain how to progress.

In the short amount of time I'd been with her she'd managed to effect me in a way that I am not comfortable with. I'm not even sure what is different. I'm not even sure what happened. If I were a superstitious man like many of my family members are I would wonder if she were a witch who bewitched me with her magics.

I shake my head. Crazy thoughts Manoso, deal with it. She is just another person for you to work with. Do what you have to in order to help her out and teach her, but maintain distance from her and keep it professional. Even while I'm telling myself this, I know I'm lying. Apparently I was wrong when I thought that with this job I wouldn't have to worry about emotional attachments. I barely know her and I'm already attached.

As the sun makes it's final decent and the sky goes from orange to gray I have one final thought. What did you do to me, Babe?


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: As always, I do not own these characters. They just come to visit once in a while.

All conversations in italics are JE's. I have no claims to them.

Hope you like this! Let me know what you think!

Chapter Three

Rain is pounding against the windows of my apartment. I've been laying in bed for the last hour trying to turn my mind off and it isn't working. There are issues with a few clients that I need to work out, a few more men I need to hire before Rangeman is ready to go public. Right now we're just a small operation, but I've already purchased the building for Rangeman and once we finish gutting the building and updating the security we will be ready to move in.

Ella already has the decorator picked out and they've signed the confidentiality agreement. As soon as the paint is dry they'll move in the furniture. It's a good building, seven stories with a gated underground garage. The seventh floor is going to be my own personal space. My place to crash when I'm in town. The fourth floor has been planned as apartments for the men. They need their own spaces too and it's easier to have them in the building where they are closer in the event of an emergency. They don't mind. They're all single and have no real ties anywhere.

I've given the sixth floor to Ella and Luis. They deserve it, they have worked harder than any two people I've known. Without them Rangeman wouldn't make it. Ella cares for my men as if they were her children, and to her maybe they are. Luis has worked on every building I've ever owned. He's been a Mr. Fixit his whole life and I can't think of a better person to care for my buildings.

The fifth floor are the offices and control room. The eyes, ears, and heart of Rangeman. Everything that has to do with my company will go on there. I've been planning this for so long I can see it clearly in my mind. I've already hired a handful of men that I know and trust. Men I've served with in the military. Men who I have trusted with my life, and who trust me with theirs.

Tank and I have been interviewing other possible employees for the last week, and we've been hand selecting clients. Within a year Rangeman will known as the number one security company. The company you want to secure you're homes, business, and events. We've also picked up a contract with Vincent Plum Bail Bonds and will be working bond enforcement as well. Kind of a one stop shop for all things security related.

My men and I have done black ops for most of our adult lives. We've planned missions together in some of the darkest, hottest, most dangerous jungles of the world. We've helped countries protect their lands, and walked into fights we had no business being in because our government told us it was our duty. Not a single person on my team is innocent. Everyone of them have killed, have planned, have sacrificed for the greater good. Now they're just doing it with better pay.

I realize though that none of this is what is keeping me awake. The issues with clients and employees are easily fixed. I've already got answers for those problems that I just have to implement tomorrow. No, my problem has nothing to do with my company, and everything to do with Stephanie Plum.

I've barely met her and yet I find myself having to push thoughts of her away. I'm not a man who lets emotion cloud my judgment or get in the way of my goals. In spite of this I find myself thinking about her, remembering the way she smells, like peaches and rain. The way she lifts her head when she is determined and the way her eyes flash when she gets pissed.

I punch my pillow. Dammit Manoso get a grip. Keep your mind on the job. She's a job. Do your job and get out, get done. You do NOT have the time for some blue eyed bombshell who wants to kick ass.

My phone rings in the darkness interrupting my internal lecture. I pick it up and don't recognize the number on the ID.

_"Yo."_

_ "Ranger?" _Oh shit. It can't be.

_"Who wants to know?"_

_ "Stephanie Plum. I have a problem."_ Fuck.

I sit up in bed throwing back the covers. My guess is she wouldn't be calling me unless something is seriously wrong. Fuck.

_"What's the problem?" _ There is silence for a moment and I can practically hear her thinking across the line.

_"I'm handcuffed to my shower curtain rod, and I need someone to open the cuffs." _This has got to be a joke. I'm not playing this game. She seriously didn't call me at damn near three in the morning to make a pass at me did she? Fuck. Women are all the same. I shake my head and hang up the phone. I find that I really want to throw the phone at the wall but before I can it rings again. Shit. She just doesn't give up.

"_Yo!" _ I say, this time anger is coloring my voice.

_"Don't hang up! This is serious, dammit. I'm trapped in my bathroom. My front door is locked and no one has a key."_

Okay, so why is she calling me? _"Why don't you call the cops? They love this rescue shit."_

_ "Because I don't want to have to explain to the cops. And besides, I'm naked."_

I feel myself smile. "_Heh, heh, heh."_

I could feel her irritation through the phone line. "_It's not funny. Morelli broke into my apartment while I was in the shower, and the son of a bitch handcuffed me to the shower rod."_

I have to admit, the guy had style. _"You gotta like the guy." _I said.

"_Are you going to help me, or what?"_ Of course I am. She. Is. Naked.

_"Where do you live?"_

_ "The apartment building at the corner of St James and Dunworth. Apartment 215. It's a rear apartment. Morelli got in by climbing the fire escape and going through the window. You can probably do the same."_

I hang up the phone again and pull on black pants, a black tee shirt and strap on my holster. The rain is still coming down against the window as I grab my keys and head to the turbo. What the hell, it isn't like I was sleeping anyway.

I walk into the lobby of her building and head for the stairs. No reason to take a chance on the elevator, it doesn't exactly look safe. In a matter of moments I'm standing at her front door. Okay, Manoso. Get your head on straight. You've seen women before, just go in get it done and get out. It's just a job.

One look at the lock and I shake my head. A two year old could get into this apartment. What is she thinking with locks like these? It takes fifteen seconds for me to get into her apartment. Her smell permeates the small area and I can feel the remaining moisture from her shower on my face. Her apartment looks more like a college dorm than an apartment for a grown woman. She has little furniture and what she has is mismatched. Her living area is spartan to say the least. The apartment looks like it has been searched. Drawers and cupboards are open. Apparently Morelli was looking for something. I highly doubted this was a decorative choice.

A noise from the kitchen gets my attention as I'm walking to the bathroom. I recognize the sound for what it is, a rodent; and apparently he's working on a one minute mile. I continue into the bathroom, her smell is getting stronger and I take a deep breath. Bad idea Manoso! I shake my head trying to clear it. I get to the door and look in.

She is standing on the edge of the tub with one arm above her head handcuffed to the rod, and the other hand in a death grip around the phone. Her hair is a riotous mess of curls and frizz sticking out from around her face. Her eyes are a vibrant blue, snapping with annoyance at being cuffed to the shower. Her body is lightly tanned from the sun, her breasts are natural and perky, rosy nipples pebbling from the cold. I imagine pulling on them with my teeth. She has beautiful legs, long and smooth. The kind of legs meant to wrap around a man. The kind of legs I want to have wrapped around me. Right now. Her back is smooth and the dip at the base of her spine is just meant for licking. The globes of her ass are the perfect size and shape to hold onto while I pound into her. Damn.

I take all this in in a moment.

When she notices me not even a trace of embarrassment crosses her face. Just relief. I find myself smiling. She wouldn't look so relieved if she knew what thoughts were crossing my mind. I make sure to keep my face blank as I take in the sight of her.

_"I appreciate you coming out in the middle of the night." _ She says to me.

I smile, _"Didn't want to miss seeing you chained up naked." _

_ " The keys are in the mess on the floor." _

I look down at the floor and notice that amid what appears to be the contents of her purse are the keys. I pick them up then pry her stiff fingers from around the phone. I unlock the cuffs and look at her and wonder if there is more to her and Morelli than him being a skip. _"You and Morelli got something kinky going on?"_

_ "Remember when you gave me his keys this afternoon?"_

Of course I did. Where is this going? _ "Uh huh."_

"_I sort of borrowed his car." _What? Oh shit. I bite my tongue to keep from laughing out loud, but I'm pretty sure I smiled.

"_Borrowed?"_

_ "Commandeered, actually. You know, about us having the law and all?"_ Oh shit. This is great. No wonder Morelli came in and cuffed her to the shower rod. Gotta give it to her though, she's got cajones.

_"Uh huh."_

_ "Well, I commandeered his car, and he found out."_

I smile as I hand her a towel. I figure the sooner she gets covered up the less temptation I'm going to have. I have great control and will power, but I can feel it slipping. I want to lick the trail of water that still remains and is slowly traveling down the valley between her breasts. I am still a man after all. "_He understand about commandeering?" _Focus, Manoso.

_"Lets just say he wasn't pleased. I parked the car in the lot out here and removed the distributor cap as a safety precaution."_ Smart girl. Point to her. I can only imagine how Morelli was feeling. This is a kick.

"_Bet that went over big."_

I watched her climb out of the tub, look in the mirror and bite back on a scream. Apparently she noticed her hair. There sure was a lot of it. _"I need to install an alarm system in his car but I haven't got the money." _

A laugh rumbles low in my chest. It's a good laugh, and honest laugh. She amuses me. Very few people can do that. _"An alarm system. Morelli'll love that." _

I bend over a grab a pen off the floor, grab a sheet of toilet paper and write down the address for Al's garage. If anyone can hook her up with an alarm for a stolen car than it will be Al. I smile again. Damn. I don't know whether she's crazy or just smart. I'd hate to be Morelli though, cause it doesn't look like she's the givin' up type.

"_I know a garage that'll give you a price." _ I say, as she moves past me into her room and exchanges the towel for a long terrycloth robe. Thank God. I'm not sure how much longer I am going to be able to keep cool. Though, even the terrycloth robe doesn't hide her body.

She changes the subject, "_I heard you come in through the door."_

_ "I picked the lock. Didn't think it prudent to wake up the super." _I look over to the window and see the rain gliding down as it beating a steady rhythm against it. The sill stained with water and the torn screen draped across it. "_I only do the Spiderman shit in nice weather."_

"_Morelli wrecked my screen."_

_ "Guess he in a hurry."_

_ "I've noticed you only talk ghetto half the time." _She noticed that, huh? Most people don't really pay that much attention to how I speak. I wear so many different masks that sometimes I find they meld together.

_"I'm multilingual." _I tell her as I head to the door.

I see Morelli's jeep sitting in a pool of light as I glide the Turbo out of her parking lot and point it toward my apartment and I feel a smile come across my face. The soft purr of the engine and the continuous swish, swish, swish, of the wipers wrap me in a cocoon. I look at the clock and realize that only fifteen minutes had passed since I pulled into her lot. It seems like so much longer.

My body is aching with unsatisfied need and I keep replaying the way she looked cuffed to the shower. The feel of her skin as it brushed against mine when I unwrapped her fingers from the phone, when I removed the cuff. The lightest brush of her skin makes me burn. Hell, her voice makes me burn. I still can't believe she stole Morelli's jeep. That's priceless. Looks like I will be taking a cold shower tonight. Doesn't look like I'll be getting any sleep now.

I shake my head trying to clear thoughts of her from my mind. You have priorities Manoso. Get them straight. You have no time for a woman who gets herself cuffed to a shower rod at oh three hundred. Your life does not lend itself to relationships. Remember that.

Ah, but this particular woman sure does have cajones.


End file.
